Nancy Rodda, PA

Vacant Home Staging on a Budget 101 By: Nancy Rodda

Selling a vacant home can sometimes be a challenge. A vacant home can seem cold, uninviting, and dare I say….unloved. With no furniture to give scale, spaces seem smaller than they truly are and minor imperfections such as a scratched wood plank, a chipped tile, a scuffed wall suddenly become a focal point and distract buyers from the big picture. Undefined spaces such as lofts and bonus rooms can leave buyers at a loss for how to make use of the space. When professional staging of a home is not in the budget , here are a few inexpensive tips that will make your vacant property feel warm and welcoming to prospective buyers….make it feel like HOME.

1. Fresh paint is a must, especially when a home is vacant because every nail hole, dirty hand print, and dusty fan blade will be all the buyer sees if you don’t. Trust me, I speak the truth. The good news: at around $25 per gallon of paint, this task will hands down give you the most bang for your buck if your willing to put in some sweat equity. I know you love your hot pink bathroom and that fantastic animal mural in the living room…..but the color of the day is Greige. Yes, Greige. You can’t go wrong if you land somewhere on the Grey to Beige spectrum, so roll up your sleeves and get to work!

2. First impressions are everything and you don’t get a second chance to make one! A pressure washer is your new best friend. For a nominal fee, you can rent one and for only slightly more, you can hire someone who has one! You will be amazed at how great your driveway and exterior of your home can look after a little wash down. Also, when is the last time you mulched? At around $2 a bag, fresh mulch will make your landscaping pop….and I speak from experience when I say that carrying the 10 to 20 30lb bags required to mulch a small garden is an excellent work out! Dead plants, weeds, cobwebs, trash of any kind….get rid of it all, no exceptions.If you know any Cross Fitters, just invite them over to the mulching and weeding party for their WOD!

3. Does your entrance say “WELCOME HOME”. Literally, does it? This is your chance to “Have them at Hello”. Brightly colored door mats with inviting words can plant a seed with prospective buyers and also make the entrance fresh. Time to get rid of that shredded, dirty and tired door mat that has seen far too much. Sports fans, I know you love your FSU Seminole door flag…..but that may be enough to make a UF Gator turn around before even entering….so pack it up and hang it at your new abode! If you have an entrance patio, purchase a couple inexpensive patio chairs ($15 ea), a bright throw pillow ($5 ea), area rug ($20-$40ea) and some potted plants ($5 to $15 ea).

4. Now the buyers are inside and greeted by an empty and echoing home. You know all those dim, energy efficient lights that have kept your electric bill fantastically low, saved the environment and made you look 10 years younger? Swap them out for super bright energy zapping spot lights that make your home say “Look at how light and bright and beautiful I am”! I’m not saying to do this with all of the lights, but definitely in strategic areas such as the entrance foyer, kitchen, stairs, hallways and other areas that may not get much natural light. No need to recycle, you can be nice and leave the energy efficient ones in the closet for the new buyer :). And open the blinds. Personally, I like them completely raised and open for showings unless the view could distract focus from the home….such as the next door neighbor working on their tan lines.

5. Kitchen and bathrooms. Anyone ever heard the old saying that Kitchens and Bathrooms sell homes? I’m pretty sure there is something to that. So, head to your local bargain store and get some brightly colored towels ($6 ea), floor mats ($15 ea), and a few simple accent pieces such as jar of assorted jelly beans (under $10) for the kitchen or some luxurious hand soap ($5ea) for the bathrooms. Why brightly colored you ask?…Because you need to balance all that beautiful neutral GREIGE with a pop of color so the home is neutral but not sterile.

6. And lastly, what to do with those lonely and sometimes confusing vacant living spaces? I suggest a story board for each room. Go on-line to sites like Pintrest, Houzz, IKEA and find similar furnished rooms and spaces. Make a collage of your findings (obeying copyright laws of course) and hang a story board in each space. This will not only help your buyers visualize how to use the space, it will have the added value of bringing some color to each room as well as giving a focal point to each room.

Got it? I expect that you will all go forth and excel! I’m out there showing properties all the time and I’ll be watching to see if you have listened!

By the way, I did the staging pictured above for under $150. The $40 patio rug was a splurge but worth every penny! Which home would you choose?

New on the Market

Contact Me

Reviews

Thanks for Helping us on the entire process of getting our home. Great Service. I Will recommend to everyone. Nancy is very honest, organized, professional and timely.Thank you Nancy!

Thanks for Helping us on the entire process of getting our home. Great Service. I Will recommend to everyone. Nancy is very honest, organized, professional and timely.Thank you Nancy!

5zuser20140803094736911

I found Nancy via Zillow after being interested in a few properties. I have hands down never worked with someone so responsive before in my life. And that says a lot coming from me because, like Nancy, I value customer service as top priority. She's... (more)

I found Nancy via Zillow after being interested in a few properties. I have hands down never worked with someone so responsive before in my life. And that says a lot coming from me because, like Nancy, I value customer service as top priority. She's replied to all of my emails requesting information on properties within the same day, no matter how late in the evening she'd get to them, 11pm, 1am, and I'm not even someone looking for a high price range home. On that note, she's also great at truly listening to my wants/needs in my first home. I told her what I could afford, what my ideal new home would look like, and she's stuck to exactly that. I've never felt any sort of pressure to go outside my budget, or get swayed into something else for the sake of a sale. She's extremely respectful of my feedback on properties, and does such an excellent job of truly listening to me even if it means a ton more information gathering and work for her. Absolutely amazing customer service. (less)

5kmaand12

I would highly recommend Nancy as your Realtor for either buying or selling your next home. We required a true professional since we were out of town buyers and relying heavily on the input of our Realtor. We needed someone that was willing to go beyond the... (more)

I would highly recommend Nancy as your Realtor for either buying or selling your next home. We required a true professional since we were out of town buyers and relying heavily on the input of our Realtor. We needed someone that was willing to go beyond the ordinary and be extraordinary, Nancy got the job done. She was very responsive, available, and forthright. When their were issues, she jumped in and helped correct the situation so the process ran smoothly. We needed more than an agent…we needed a personable, respectable, professional, and Nancy was all of those things. Thanks Nancy for helping us! In a situation that needed an expert, you were there for us! We look forward to working with you again in the future! (less)

Our Coverage Areas

About Nancy Rodda

Digital Business Card

Click or Scan the QR Code for my digital business card.

All listing information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified through personal inspection by appropriate professionals. Listings displayed on this website may be subject to prior sale or removal from sale. Availability of any listing should always be independently verified. Listing information is provided for consumer personal, non-commercial use, solely to identify potential properties for potential purchase. All other use is strictly prohibited and may violate relevant federal and state law.